Friday, March 13, 2009

Zumaya still not ready

Joel Zumaya will miss tomorrow's simulated game due to a muscle cramp between his neck and shoulder. Why am I not surprised? It does not sound like anything serious but you have to wonder if he'll ever be healthy. He has not pitched since March 2 and I suspect he won't be ready when the regular season opens up. Jeremy Bonderman is still scheduled to pitch in the simulated game. If all goes well, he'll pitch on Wednesday in a real game. Jim Leyland thinks he will still be on track for the start of the season if there are no more setbacks.

It's a good thing spring training results don't count because it has not been pretty so far. The Tigers were pounded 9-3 by the Mets today. Edwin Jackson pitched three shutout innings but then tired after that giving up two homers in the fourth and walking the first two batters in the fifth before leaving. It was the longest stint of the spring so far for a Tigers pitcher. Adam Everett of all people, hit a home run for the Tigers.

I don't know if his shoulder will ever be healthy for a full season. At this point, I would consider anything they get out of him to be a bonus. He's still very young and I haven't given up on him but I'm not optimistic about his future. I would not hesitate to trade him but I'm not sure what his value is right now.